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14 last-minute Christmas gifts with quick delivery that are just as thoughtful
Whether it’s for mum, dad, friends or loved ones, there’s still time to get something they’ll appreciate
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In the immortal words of Slade, “it’s Christmaaaaas”. How did that happen? December seemingly flashed by in a blink of an eye. And with all the festivities and fun, you’ll be forgiven for forgetting a very important person on your Christmas list.
Considering you’re now a little strapped for time, we’ve done the elf work for you and compiled a guide to the best last-minute Christmas gifts.
For whatever reason you’re not going to be with your giftee this Christmas, these presents are the perfect option too because they don’t require you to give them in person.
And best of all, all of them have been reviewed by us, so you can trust that they’re reputable and will certainly be things they’ll love.
From the perfect gift for couples to a decadent Christmas hamper, there is something for everyone here, and we’ve included the last dates for delivery, all of which are comfortably close to Christmas. Some of them can even be bought on the big day itself.
So put your feet up, drink some mulled wine, have a mince pie and feel smug in the knowledge that now you really have ticked everyone off your list. Thank us later!
Read more:
The best last-minute Christmas gifts in 2021 are:
- Best Christmas hamper – Pantree luxury gourmet hamper with negroni and bubbly: £145, Pantree.co
- Best charity gift – Choose Love basic wash bag: £10, Choose.love
- Best gift for wine lovers – The Online Wine Tasting Club: £26.99, Onlinewinetasting.club
- Best letterbox flowers – Serenata Flowers floral ratatouille: £29.99, Serenataflowers.com
- Best ethical gift – Migrateful online cookery classes: From £20, Migrateful.org
- Best for coffee lovers – Batch coffee: From £14.49 per box, Batchcoffee.co.uk
- Best for gamers – Nintendo Switch online 12 month gift card: £67.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for foodies – ‘Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love’ cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi, Noor Murad and Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, published by Ebury Press: £16.56, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for the beauty-obsessed – Glossybox: From £11.75 each for 12 months or £13.25 for one, Glossybox.co.uk
- Best for couples – National Trust membership: £120, Nationaltrust.org.uk
- Best for cat lovers – Gus & Bella cat box: £29.90, Gusandbella.com
- Best tech gift – Google Nest hub: £88.89, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for audiophiles – Audible three months’ credit: £23.99, Audible.co.uk
- Best for mum – Scream Pretty X Hannah Martin baroque pearl huggie earrings: £55, Screampretty.com
Pantree luxury gourmet hamper with negroni and bubbly: £145, Pantree.co
Best: Christmas hamper
Last date to order: 23 December
There’s surely no better way to say “Happy Christmas” than with a selection of decadent delicacies, and this one featured in our review of the best hampers. The Forty Hall’s sparkling brut was praised for being impressive, while the “hamper also includes four different types of charcuterie from Crown & Queue”, while the cheese “comes in the form of a classic Cropwell Bishop stilton pot and a winsdale, which is like camembert, but better”. Owing to the number of items you get in this one, “which is almost double some others for the same price, we think it’s great value, especially considering the excellent quality of the products”, noted our writer.
Choose Love basic wash bag: £10, Choose.love
Best: Charity gift
Last date to order: 25 December
If your giftee has asked their present to be a donation this year, then we have just the answer. This one featured in our review of the best charity Christmas gifts, with our writer explaining that “Choose Love supports projects that provide emergency aid and vital long-term services to refugees and displaced people around the world.” As such, “if you want to do your bit this Christmas, the charity’s online shop has a whole host of options for different budgets, from buying a family a hot meal (£10, Choose.love) to an emergency bundle (£45, Choose.love)”.
“While all are equally important gifts”, noted our writer, you can give the gift of hygiene during the pandemic with this basic wash bag, which contains hand sanitisers, sunscreen, mosquito repellent and other essentials. You can create an e-gift with ease, and the best thing of all, you can buy it on the day you’re seeing your friend or loved one.
The Online Wine Tasting Club: £26.99, Onlinewinetasting.club
Best: For wine lovers
Last date to order: 25 December
For the oenophile in your life, is there a better gift to get them through the January blues than online wine tasting? You can trust that this is a good present since it landed a spot in our review of the best gifts for wine lovers.
“Even wine aficionados love the chance to discover a favourite new bottle and this online wine tasting club is a great way to give a dedicated drinker their dream night in,” noted our writer. Your lucky recipient will receive six 100ml samples through their letterbox for the live online masterclass. They’re “fun online tastings” and they’ll try “excellent wines”.
Serenata Flowers floral ratatouille: £29.99, Serenataflowers.com
Best: Letterbox flowers
Last date to order: 23 December
Who wouldn’t want to receive a beautiful bloom on Christmas Eve? And this bunch took the top spot in our review of the best letterbox flowers, with our writer noting that the flowers “arrived in bud and opened the next day”. “When it comes to value, this bunch is hard to beat – courier delivery (on a specified day) is included, and there was a much bigger selection than the average letterbox flower arrangements,” they added.
Migrateful online cookery classes: From £20, Migrateful.org
Best: Ethical gift
Last date to order: 25 December
Buying for a trusty home cook, or a budding chef? Whatever their culinary skills, this would make a fantastic gift. Taking the top spot in our review of the best sustainable Christmas gifts, our tester praised the online and in-person classes for being “fun for all the family”. They added that it is “brilliant to have an expert teaching you a new dish step by step, and the recipes are ones you can use again and again”. The best thing of all is “Migrateful’s mission to empower and celebrate refugees and vulnerable migrants on their journey to integration – another way that food has the power to bring people together”.
Batch coffee: From £14.49 per box, Batchcoffee.co.uk
Best: For coffee lovers
Last date to order: 25 December
If you’re buying for a coffee connoisseur, consider gifting them a coffee subscription. This one took the top spot in our guide to the best, so you can trust it’s worthy of their tastebuds.
“Batch curates a box full of the very best coffee from around the world, roasted by independent coffee roasters in the UK,” noted our writer. “All of the coffee that Batch supplies is ethically sourced and Fairtrade, and the brand doesn’t stop there when it comes to sustainability. All of its packaging is made using paper from sustainable forests, and is both plastic-free and recyclable,” they added. The best thing of all is that you can give them an email for their subscription, so there’s no need for wrapping either.
Nintendo Switch online 12 month gift card: £67.99, Amazon.co.uk
Best: For gamers
Last date to order: 25 December
So you’re buying for someone who’s into gaming, but are stuck for ideas at the last minute? Enter this gift card, which landed a spot in our round-up of the best gifts for gamers. “Not only does it come with a 12-month membership to Nintendo Switch Online, so you can play against friends or random people around the world, but you also get £50 worth of Nintendo eShop credit, too,” said our writer. This can be emailed to your happy recipient so you’re not restricted by delivery delays.
‘Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love’ cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi, Noor Murad and Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, published by Ebury Press: £16.56, Amazon.co.uk
Best: For foodies
Last date to order: 23 December
Yotam Ottolenghi has a reputation for having recipes with a large number of decadent ingredients and convoluted steps. “This book, however, is ideal for any keen cook that also likes the option of substituting a thing or two, and gives you the skills to learn how to use all the odd bits and bobs left in your cupboards and fridge,” wrote our reviewer in our guide to the best gifts for foodies. “It’s a methodology made even more useful at the start of the book, which groups recipes by ingredients, so you can quickly find an inspiring recipe by what you’ve got left,” they added.
Glossybox: From £11.75 each for 12 months or £13.25 for one, Glossybox.co.uk
Best: For the beauty-obsessed
Last date to order: 25 December
Who doesn’t like receiving a box full of surprise goodies through their letterbox? Especially during cold and dark January. Glossybox took the top spot in our guide to the best beauty subscription boxes, with our tester saying that every month, “there are five products in the box worth over £50, with a theme to each”. It packs its boxes full of “a mix of familiar finds and new brands to know”. If you’re ambushed by a last-minute beauty lover you have to buy for, you can subscribe to Glossybox the day you’re due to be seeing them.
National Trust membership: £120, Nationaltrust.org.uk
Best: For couples
Last date to order: 25 December
Finding the perfect present for a couple is tricky at the best of times, and when you throw in the fact you’re a little last minute, it’s even more tricky. Thankfully, we’ve found the ideal option. A “National Trust membership is a great gift for explorers that can be enjoyed all year round”, noted our review of the best Christmas gifts for couples. This membership “designed for two adults living at the same address and includes free entry to more than 500 sites and free parking, as well as a handbook that’s full of ideas to help them plan their next visit and a magazine that will arrive on their doorstep three times a year”. It really is the gift that keeps on giving.
Gus & Bella cat box: £29.90 per month, Gusandbella.com
Best: For cat lovers
Last date to order: 25 December
If you’re buying for someone who loves their feline friend, this subscription box took the top spot in our guide to the best gifts for cat lovers. It’s a “gift that will bring joy to cats and their humans” and is “packed full of fun treats”, applauded our writer. “Not only is every item inside fantastic quality but they encourage you to devote some time to your feline friend, whether that’s through play, cosying up on the sofa or eating tasty treats together,” they added. While you won’t be able to put this under the tree, it’ll certainly give them something to look forward to receiving at a later date when the Christmas cheer is just a distant memory.
Google Nest hub: £88.89, Amazon.co.uk
Best: For tech geeks
Last date to order: 23 December
Treat the gadget-head in your life to this Google Nest Hub, which featured in our review of the best tech gifts. It “can be used to control lighting, raise and lower blinds, lock doors and set reminders” explained our writer. “It’s powered by the Google Assistant, meaning it does everything your phone’s virtual assistant does and a little more,” they added. Thanks to Amazon Prime, if you order by 23 December, it’ll be ready and waiting for them on Christmas morning.
Audible three months’ credit: £23.99, Audible.co.uk
Best: For audiophiles
Last date to order: 25 December
If you’re looking for a last-minute gift for a literary lover, call off the search because we’ve got you covered. “Amazon’s Audible library contains a vast collection of recorded tomes, spanning memoirs, non-fiction, novels, poetry and plenty more,” said our writer when they reviewed the best gifts for book lovers. “You can gift a subscription for one, three months or six months, with the membership including one credit a month for a book of their choice, unlimited listening to the Plus Catalogue and access to thousands of Audible Originals and podcasts,” they added. A really great option if you know they appreciate having audio as a companion.
Scream Pretty X Hannah Martin baroque pearl huggie earrings: £55, Screampretty.com
Best: For mum
Last date to order: 23 December
OK, we’re not judging you if you’ve forgotten about the queen in your life, but if you have we’d recommend ordering these ASAP – they really are worth their weight in gold. They featured in our review of the best Christmas gifts for mum, with our writer noting that they arrived in a “black cardboard box with velvety insert”, and the first thing they noticed was “how sturdy the earrings are, for such a delicate design”. They “work perfectly as part of a curated ear vibe” and they have a “robust quality, wearable comfort, and fancy pearl finish”. The brand says that the last date to order is 23 December for next day delivery.
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For the chocoholic, read our guide to the best chocolate hampers to indulge in this Christmas
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